Mark Byington has worked wonders with Vanderbilt in his first season at the helm of the program. The Commodores, a 9-win team a season ago under Jerry Stackhouse, are 17-6 (and 5-5 in the SEC) after an 86-78 win over Texas on Saturday.
This season included some notable wins: against Kentucky and Tennessee, specifically. And both victories saw Vandy fans at Memorial Gym storm the court afterward. Those storming, along with storming the football field after an upset of Alabama, have cost the university $750,000 in fines under the SEC’s access to competition area regulations.
And in an effort to deter potential safety issues, Vanderbilt has asked fans to wait 1 minute after the final whistle so both officials and the opponent can leave the court before storming it.
“I think we get the best of both worlds,” Byington said when asked about the policy. “If we’re fortunate to win a big game, or win a game that’s worthy of that, we want to celebrate with them. But at the same time, (there’s) safety concerns (and) we don’t want that for the opposing team or for us. It’s a league rule, so it’s a league rule for a reason, and we don’t want the fines, but it is a nice compromise to be able to celebrate with them.”
RELATED: March Madness is right around the corner, so make sure to know which sportsbooks have legal betting apps for Tennessee for all things Commodores!
It’s always interesting to see a court storming in Memorial Gym because Vandy fans haven’t had much to cheer about in past years. Under Byington, though, it seems to be the new normal for a team looking for a first NCAA appearance since 2017.
#Vandy trying something new to stop court storming… @vucommodores announces new postgame policy that asks fans to wait 1 min before storming the court so officials and opposing team can clear. HC Mark Byington says it's a good compromise… More tonight @FOXNashville pic.twitter.com/NJNPLukKE0
— Jill Jelnick (@JillJelnick) February 7, 2025Mark Byington comments on Vanderbilt’s new policy to prevent court-storming penalties Saturday Down South.
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